Ukraine war: Explainer - Is Russia using 'dumb bombs'?
A hospital destroyed by an air strike in Mariupol, Ukraine.
Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
As Russia continues to pound Ukraine with missiles, US defence officials have said that Putin's forces are increasingly targeting Ukraine with the so-called "dumb bombs".
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Reuters quoting US defence officials said Russia has been dropping "dumb munitions" amid"increasing damage to civilian infrastructure and civilian casualties".
Reports say Russian forces have been bombarding Ukranian cities while targeting civilian areas. On Wednesday, Russia hit a maternity hospital in Ukraine's Mariupol amid worldwide criticism.
What are "dumb bombs"?
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The dumb bombs are not precision-guided weapons and it does not strike targets with precision leading to civilian casualties. Reports claim Russian aircraft have been flying low over Ukrainian towns while hitting them with "dumb bombs". The bombs most often miss their targets landing in civilian areas.
Has Russia actually used "dumb bombs"?
Amnesty International said a small public square formed by Chernihiv’s Viacheslava Chornovola and Kruhova streets was hit by multiple bombs, killing civilians and severely damaging nearby buildings.
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"Based on new interviews and verification and analysis of video evidence, Amnesty’s crisis response team has concluded the attack was likely to have been a Russian airstrike in which at least eight unguided aerial bombs - so-called “dumb bombs” were used," it said.
Amnesty said the Chernihiv council reported 47 people were killed in the attack including 38 men and nine women. Amnesty added that the majority of people who were hit by the bombs were queuing for food when the missiles hit.
(With inputs from Agencies)